We decorate rented homes in Semilong, NN2, for landlords and letting agents, mostly between tenancies in HMOs and terraced houses. Semilong sits 0.8 miles north of Northampton town centre, close to our base, and Dean prices one changeover or a series of them free of charge.
A rental market built on terraces and shared houses
The neighbourhood plan for Semilong and Trinity names family houses lost to HMOs as a problem specific to Semilong, calls the population often transitory and puts the student population across its area at over 4,000. Since a March 2012 Article 4 Direction covering north and central Northampton, which takes in Semilong ward, converting a house into an HMO has needed planning permission. For landlords already letting here, the result is a stock of shared terraces that turn over often and need decorating quickly between occupants.
The housing behind those figures is mostly late Victorian and Edwardian: two- and three-bed mid-terraces, larger three-storey houses on St Pauls Road, and flats in the old Barrack Road terraces. One three-bed St Andrews Road terrace was advertised to let with redecoration throughout between tenancies.
Where the wear lands
| Area | Typical wear in a Semilong let | What we suggest |
|---|---|---|
| Communal hall and stairs | Shoulder-height scuffs, bike marks, worn handrails | Scuff-resistant washable matt; hard satin on woodwork |
| Bedrooms | Blu-tack marks, picture holes, furniture rubs | Fill, sand and two coats of a durable neutral |
| Kitchen and bathroom | Grease, condensation, mould spotting | Clean, treat mould, kitchen and bathroom emulsion |
| Cellar head and ground-floor walls | Damp staining and blistering | Check moisture, breathable paint, report the cause |
Not every room needs a full repaint at each changeover, and in a house where tenants rarely stay long, a written note of what was done last time saves guesswork at the next checkout. We look at the house and say which rooms need two coats, which need touching in, and which can be left until next time.
Keeping one colour across the house
With tenants moving on often, landlords here usually want one durable neutral used throughout, so that touch-ups match and rooms photograph consistently for the listing. We note the colour and product used in each house so the next changeover can be patched rather than repainted wall to wall. Lets on Marriott Street or facing Barrack Road are a separate case outside: they fall within the conservation area, where any change to street-facing paintwork needs consent, so exterior colours should stay as they are unless West Northamptonshire Council agrees a change.
Working to tenancy dates
The gap between one tenant leaving and the next arriving is often short. We agree a start date as soon as the checkout is booked and give a realistic finish date based on the number of rooms. For a shared house with some rooms still occupied, we decorate the empty rooms and communal areas in a set order, keep the stairs usable and leave halls dry by evening.
Keys can be collected from the letting agent. With kerbs packed with cars and front doors opening onto the footway, materials come in through the front, so the hall and stairs are covered first. You can read how we approach rental work in general on our landlord and letting agent decorating page, and the painter and decorator cost guide lists what moves a price up or down.
Agents with several properties
Letting agents managing a run of Semilong lets can send us the checkout reports as each one comes up. We quote room by room against the report and keep the finishes consistent across the portfolio. Every other service we offer in the area is on the Semilong hub.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
